Did you think it was incredible watching Miles Scott’s adventure as Batkid play out on TV and social media? Just wait until you see Dana Nachman’s documentary about what it took to pull the whole thing off. In November 2013, Make-A-Wish executive director Patricia Wilson and her team made Miles’ dream a reality by turning him into Batkid for the day and letting him save San Francisco from The Riddler and The Penguin right alongside his ultimate hero, Batman.

With Batkid Begins making its way into select theaters on June 26th, I got the opportunity to sit down with Nachman, Wilson and Mike Jutan who played The Penguin to discuss capturing the unforgettable day and turning it into a documentary that preserves the memory in a joyful and inspiring way. Check out what they told me about acquiring all the footage, incorporating some animation, the status of Red Om Films’ remake of Batkid Begins and loads more in the video interview below.

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Image via Warner Bros.

Dana Nachman, Patricia Wilson & Mike Jutan:

  • 00:04 - Nachman on making the move from dark, serious documentaries to more joyful material.
  • 01:37 - Making the movie with people she genuinely enjoys being with.
  • 02:04 - Jutan’s new Penguin wardrobe and accessories.
  • 03:09 - Nachman originally wanted to crowdsource the footage.
  • 04:57 - Wilson originally decided to shoot the event so that they could make a fun volunteer training video.
  • 05:39 - Was there any missing footage that Nachman wishes she had to work with?
  • 06:47 - The problems that would have come with crowdsourcing the footage.
  • 07:15 - Jutan on shooting a five-hour interview for the film.
  • 07:50 - Originally, Nachman wanted to make a short documentary; that changed when they came up with a list of potential interview subjects.
  • 09:03 - All the cool ILM items you can see in the background of Jutan’s interview.
  • 09:23 - Using animation to talk about Miles’ condition at the beginning of the film.
  • 10:45 - On the film being emotional and inspiring, but not upsetting.
  • 11:33 - The movie chronicles the whole day; they didn’t take anything out.
  • 12:14 - Nachman only thought about selling the documentary, not the idea that someone might want to acquire the remake rights.
  • 14:06 - Will Nachman, Wilson and Jutan be involved in the narrative feature?
  • 14:51 - Jutan on working at ILM and Pixar; things to look out for that he did personally on WALL-E and The Avengers.

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